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Dilemmas in Writing National Histories: The Case for China and Tibet

Project mission
This website is designed to incite discussion and debate on the ways we construct and imagine national identity through historical narratives. Initially, the project developed from a seminar which explored theories of nationalism in order to analyze competing representations of Chinese and Tibetan history. Following the lead of the Peace Research Institute in the Middle East, which juxtaposes Israeli and Palestinian views regarding conflict in that region, our goal is to provide a panoramic view of the divergent narratives that can be found within the conflict between China and Tibet. The ever evolving discourse on nationalism is central to the way historical writing is framed. Through historiographical inquiry informed by nationalist theory, scholars can better approach all sides of an issue rooted in historical precedent. This is particularly evident in the case of contemporary movements for an independent Tibet or, conversely, a Tibet under Chinese authority. We hope that this site may help to build a legacy of agency into the literature of historical relations between China and Tibet for scholars interested in exploring issues of group membership, national identity, and national sovereignty in the region.

How this website works
In order to implement the above mentioned goals, we have placed three narratives of Chinese-Tibetan history within a single visual field. This method provides a juxtaposition of Chinese and Tibetan perspectives along with a third party's writing, which we have labeled the 'scholar's perspective.' The intent is neither to explicitly highlight errors in the historical accounts nor to champion one perspective above the others. Instead, we hope to present central issues in Chinese-Tibetan relations that warrant further attention and investigation. By clicking on a particular time period, you can read three distinct narratives of history in relation to one another. We hope it will call attention to the nuanced role nationalism plays in the construction of historical record. Bolded proper nouns and other terms that appear in the text are glossed at the bottom of each page.

The Period of Rival Empires(Tibetan Empire & Tang Dynasty)Tibetan view: W. D. Shakabpa. Ch2 “The empire of the early kings of Tibet.” Tibet: A Political History. pp. 23-53.Chinese view: Wang and Nyima. Ch 1 “Relations between the Han and the Tibetans in the Tang and Song Dynasties.” The Historic Status of China’s Tibet.
Zhang Shixiong, Jiao Shuji, and Bai Yu. The ancient Tangbo Road: Princess Wen Cheng’s Route to Tibet. 3-13.Scholarly view: Christopher Beckwith. “The Tibetans in the Ordos and North China: Considerations on the Role of the Tibetan Empire in World History,” 1-11.

Chinaand Tibet under Manchu Rule (Qing Dynasty)Tibetan view: W. D. Shakabpa. Ch9 “Beginnings of Manchu Influence,” Ch10 “War with the Gurkhas and Dogras.” Tibet: A Political History. pp. 140-183.Chinese view: Wang and Nyima. Ch 4 “The Sovereign-Subject Relationship Between the Qing Dynasty Emperor and the Dalai Lama.” The Historic Status of China’s Tibet.
Yu Changan. “On the Policies of Administration for the Tibet Region formulated by the Central Government of the Qing Dynasty.” In Theses on Tibetology in China (II). pp. 117-147. (see next entry as well…)Scholarly view: Chen Qingying. “Lcang-skya Rolpavi-rdorje and Emperor Qian Long.” pp. 67-90.

Republican China and Independent TibetTibetan view: W. D. Shakabpa. Ch14: “Tibet’s struggle to maintain her independence,” Ch15: “Further evidence of Tibetan independence,” Ch 16 “Clashes between Tibetans and Chinese in Khams.” Tibet: A Political History. pp. 224-274.Chinese view: Wang and Nyima. Ch 5-6 “British Invasion and the Birth of the Myth of "Tibetan Independence"” & “Tibet Is Not an Independent Political Entity During the Period of the Republic of China.” The Historic Status of China’s Tibet.
Yang Gongsu. “The Origin and Analysis of the Schemes of the so-called ‘Independence for Tibet’.” In Theses on Tibetology in China (I). pp. 290-353.Scholarly view: Gray Tuttle. “Saving Republican China through religious activity: Chinese reliance on Tibetan Buddhism.” pp. 1-42.